The Redskins thought it was hilarious

Tuesday

Aug 19, 2014 at 9:58 AM

A Washington safety explains what set off Johnny Manziel. Mike Pettine has his own explaining to do.

The greatest improviser in college football ran for minus-one yard in his second NFL practice game.But hey now, Johnny Manziel didn’t run wild every Saturday at Texas A&M.When one team had his number, it didn’t change his style. He would simply show his feet — ande his back — to the next team.Last autumn, for example, after Vanderbilt bottled him up (four carries, 11 yards), he came back the next week to torch Texas-El Paso for 67 yards on just seven runs.In Manziel’s regular-season finale, he tried like crazy to beat Missouri with his legs (11 carries), but he couldn’t (21 yards), and the lost (the Aggies fell to 8-4). His next game was against Duke in the bowl season. He ran 11 times for 73 yards, setting up a 382-yard passing day.So, the fact defensive coordinator Jim Haslett gave Washington’s “ones” a plan that wiped out Johnny Football doesn’t mean Manziel won’t come up with a counterpunch Saturday against St. Louis.Not even Ryan Clark, a Redskins safety who has played for Pittsburgh in recent years, doubts Manziel might do it.

MANZIEL AMUSES REDSKINSOn Mike & Mike this morning, Clark said he thinks Manziel should start at Pittsburgh and begin what he pictures as a good, exciting pro career.Clark added that Manziel certainly will have to apply his improvisational skills in new ways.The circumstances behind Manziel flipping off the Washington bench, Clark said, were a case in point.Clark said he knew exactly what prompted the gesture that sank a thousand inflatable swans and instantly became the new Manziel postcard.The Redskins were bottling up Manziel when he tried to create passing lanes, and they snuffed out his lone official rushing attempt for a one-yard loss.From the sidelines, Clark said, the Redskins taunted Manziel along the lines of, “This isn’t college, Johnny boy. We’re faster here. You can’t outrun us.”Clark added, “We weren’t saying it in quite those words.”Had Manziel been facing the Washington bench, Clark said, he simply would have done what was being done to him, cussed right back and gotten it out of his system. Since the taunts revved up after had turned to jog away, he slipped them the bird.“Actually,” Clark said, “I liked it.”He meant that in a Lou Brown way ... I like that kind of spirit in a ball player.Whether you think Manziel should be sent to prison for his gesture, or you didn’t mind it, the point remains.The Redskins were right. Manziel wasn’t escaping them. This wasn’t Texas El-Paso or Duke.

PETTINE'S FIRST CROSSROADSIn terms of the game, it spoke for itself.The Browns aren’t going anywhere without a quarterback, and they played Monday night’s first half without one. Their receiving corps was bad even with Josh Gordon, and he is going away soon.The defense was very good, but not as good as the offense was bad.The new coaching staff emerged as suspect, and was roundly second-guessed by player and coach types paid to give opinions. They asked questions like ... What in Norv's name have they done to Brian Hoyer?It was just a bad practice game, but it was produced by a team coming offseasons of 4-12, 5-11, 5-11, 4-12, 5-11 and 4-12.It becomes a very good week for Mike Pettine to drum up some evidence that “the process” doesn’t have to be as painful as it looked at Washington.• • •Fresh Brownie bites at www.twitter.com/sdoerschukREP